A great marinade is what makes a lamb skewer delicious. It not only imparts flavour into the meat, but also tenderises the lamb as the salt and acid break down the meat fibres, resulting in a more tender, flavourful bite. This guide breaks down everything there is to know about lamb marinades. From understanding their purpose to learning how to make a lamb marinade that suits your style. We’ll cover the formula for a perfect marinade, allowing you to whip one up with whatever is in your kitchen.
Why Marinating Lamb Skewers is Essential
Lamb can be wonderfully flavoursome and tender when cooked low and slow, like in a stew or curry. However, lamb skewers are cooked fast and hot. Without a marinade, the small pieces can turn out dry and lack depth of flavour. A marinade fixes both these problems. The acid tenderises the meat before it cooks, not as it cooks. The other ingredients — oils, herbs, spices — all work to inject flavour into the meat. Together, these ingredients create the foundation for a lamb skewer marinade recipe.
How Marinades Enhance Flavour and Tenderness
Marinades usually consist of three elements: acid, fat, and seasoning.
Acids include ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or yoghurt. They’re the key to a tender lamb skewer, as the enzymes in the acid break down proteins, improving tenderness and flavour penetration. Fat, usually an oil, improves flavour, prevents sticking during cooking, and acts as an emulsifier for the marinade. Seasoning is what makes your marinade unique. They do the heavy lifting for flavour.
How Long to Marinate Lamb for Best Results
The type of marinade and the thickness of your pieces determine how long to marinate the lamb. For 3 cm pieces, 2 hours is a good place to start, but overnight is best if you have the time. Marinades that are highly acidic should be monitored more closely, only needing 4–6 hours. Leaving it overnight could let the meat break down too much, resulting in a slimy texture.
Types of Lamb Marinades
There are a few loose categories of marinades, depending on the time you plan to let it sit for, as well as the general cuisine you’re cooking.
Herb and Spice Marinades
Herbs and lamb are a match made in heaven. Warm, earthy flavours like rosemary, thyme and cumin complement lamb’s richness flawlessly. They’re common in Middle Eastern cooking, usually paired with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. If you’re wondering what marinade goes with lamb, this is your safest bet. Mix the ingredients separately from the lamb, allowing you to taste as you go, until you’re happy with the flavour. Remember, the marinade should be overly salty, tangy and rich, as the flavours will dilute and soften as the lamb cooks.
Yogurt and Acid-Based Marinades
Synonymous with Indian cuisine, yoghurt is a popular choice for lamb skewer marinades. The lactic acid tenderises the meat in a gentler, more controlled way compared to vinegar, allowing it to be marinated for longer. It’s often paired with lemon juice, fresh garlic, ginger, and ground spices like paprika, turmeric, cumin and coriander. These marinades are perfect for high-heat cooking over a barbecue or charcoal grill.
Oil-Based and BBQ Marinades
BBQ lamb skewers are usually flavoured simply. Oil, along with a mix of smoky and herbaceous spices. They may include thinly sliced onion, garlic, and a touch of sweetener like brown sugar or honey to promote browning. These marinades are similarly ideal for charcoal cooking, where fat and smoke work in tandem to create that unmistakable charred, smoky taste.
How to Make Lamb Marinade at Home
While set recipes are handy for making marinades, they aren’t set in stone. Marinades are the perfect thing to experiment with, and once you understand the formula, you’ll be able to make marinades your way. The ratio for a great marinade is: three parts fat, one part acid, one part seasoning, or in other words, anything else. Above all, use this ratio for what it is: a guide. Some acids are more potent than others, some spices are stronger, some oils are richer. Use your senses to determine what’s missing. Taste it before adding the lamb. It should be too strong in every way, but should still taste pleasant.
Basic Lamb Marinade Recipe
Middle-Eastern Style Lamb Kebabs
- 0.6kg Boneless lamb leg, cut into 3 cm thick cubes
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Mix marinade ingredients in a non-metallic bowl. Taste for seasoning, then add the lamb and mix thoroughly with clean hands. Let marinate for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight.
Creative Marinade Variations
Once you understand the basics of lamb marinades, you can start to have fun with them. Lamb is a great meat for experimenting with bold flavours and funky ingredients. As long as you follow the formula of fat, acid, and seasoning, the ingredients are up to you! Here are some suggestions to get your creativity flowing:
Fats:
- Ghee (clarified butter)
- Sesame oil
- Grapeseed oil
Acids:
- Lime juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Rice wine vinegar
- Pomegranate molasses
Spices:
- Sumac
- Fenugreek
- Fennel
- Lime powder
- Kashmiri chilli
- Ras el hanout (a delicious North African spice blend)
Funky Additions
- Miso paste
- Gochujang (fermented spicy chilli paste
- Anchovy paste
- Tamari
- Vegemite (seriously, just a tiny bit)
Tips for Marinating Lamb Skewers
Always marinate your lamb in an airtight container or ziplock bag to maximise flavour penetration. For any marination over 1 hour, refrigerate the lamb, and take it out 30–60 minutes before you plan to cook. Importantly, if you plan to reuse the marinade as a sauce or basting, ensure you either boil it thoroughly to remove foodborne bacteria or baste the lamb and cook it for a further 3–4 minutes.
Serving and Cooking Marinated Lamb Skewers
For serving, ensure the skewers are at least 63ºC for medium-rare, and have been rested for 5–10 minutes. Either keep them on the skewer for a hands-on, rustic eating experience, or slide them off and serve with your accoutrements.
A Taste of the Hunter, Without the Work
Cooking lamb skewers over the fire at home takes a bit more time and effort than the stovetop, but the payoff is always worth it. It’s something we’ve mastered at Hunter & Barrel, where food, atmosphere, and theatre come together seamlessly.
In our open kitchens, the scent of smoky meat carries through the restaurant as chicken thighs, lamb shoulder, and wagyu skewers cook over the roaring hot coals, served piping hot and ready to share.
Book your table at Hunter & Barrel and enjoy our signature charcoal-grilled menu, cooked over fire and prepared with love and care.
